perfection

I don’t believe in perfection…even the smooth stone at the end of the river, the one that is perfect, shiny and makes all the other stones jealous was only smoothed because the rushing water pushed it down the river, both forcing it into and dislodging it from crevices and dragged it along the bottom. It’s smoothness is not because it was perfect at the beginning, the middle or even close to the end…it’s smooth because it was beat up along the way…and it’s smoothness at the end is its perfection completed. I have a feeling my life can be characterized like that. Not always in step with standards, sinful, full of grace, off-beat, love struck, stuck in ruts, forced out of my comfort zone…I can only hope that my God, the One Who created the river and the rock will smooth me to perfection. And I love that though the river and the path of the rock seem random at best, I know in my core, that my God is intentional. And even though I strike out on my own, I know that He has me. He loves me.

the line

Where do we draw it? How are we defined by it? How do we deal with it? How do we not judge people determined by which side of the line they are currently on? And finally, how long do they have to be on this side of the line before we stop judging them for previous behaviors that occurred on that side of the line?

God says that His mercies are new each day. That His grace and love are infinitely more than we can ask, know or even comprehend.

So is it possible to make a judgment about someone? Is it fair?

I know I can judge if someone is safe for me in different capacities and I feel responsible so as to not give myself away to people that aren’t worth it. But even saying that, I feel like I’m making a judgment that although has been made against me, I shouldn’t be making since I don’t know them and don’t know what God is doing in them. I can understand character problems creating issues, and I can understand seeing a pattern in someone that is destructive.

But in the end, does it really even matter? We are all fallen, so shouldn't we all be untrustworthy? Are any of us worth investing in (by human standards)? So do we write off everyone and hide in our little life or do we accept everyone- dangerous or docile- and just live the way we know how?

I mean honestly, what can man do to me...?